With an uncertain future at Alabama, Hurts’ legacy is intact

Alabama players talk about winning a fifth national title in nine years under Nick Saban.
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Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) arrives before the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on Monday January 8, 2018. (Mickey Welsh / Montgomery Advertiser)(Photo: .)

ATLANTA — The unpredictable journey of Jalen Hurts during his first two years at Alabama started exactly like it finished — providing a supporting role as the Crimson Tide celebrated another national championship.

He showed up at Alabama the day after New Year’s in 2016 as an early enrollee, and before he had finished moving into his dorm, he was given a No. 4 jersey and placed on the scout team hours after arriving on campus.

His job? Display his dual-threat talents to give Crimson Tide defenders a taste of what they might encounter nine days later when taking on Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson in the national championship game.

Although Hurts was only a few weeks removed from high school in Channelview, Texas, his importance in Alabama’s win over the Tigers could not be minimized.

Fast-forward to the latest chapter of Hurts’ tenure at Alabama. Once again, he was asked to model greatness, but now came in a different form.

This time his responsibility was that of a mentor, an unselfish leader who was constantly in the ear of his second-half replacement, Tua Tagovailoa, encouraging the freshman as he engineered the Crimson Tide’s improbable 26-23 overtime win over Georgia.

These two events bookend a career that has been equal parts exhilarating, perplexing and — now more than ever before — uncertain.

Hurts’ odyssey began as a freshman entwined in a four-man casting call for the starting quarterback position, evolving into a season where he came within one second of leading Alabama to a national title after being named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

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Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) talks with the media during the Alabama Media Day for the College Football Playoff in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday January 6, 2018.(Photo: .Mickey Welsh / Montgomery Advertiser)

Expectations were through the roof as he entered his sophomore season, maybe unreasonably so. Gone was his mentor, offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin who seemed to connect with Hurts’ stoic persona.

Arriving from the New England Patriots was Brian Daboll, with hopes he could become a quarterback-whisperer to bring Hurts’ game to the same level as his former pupil, Tom Brady.

While his second-year stats were down from his freshman year, they were still impressive. No one questioned his ability to impact a game with his legs, but lack of development in the passing phase created grumbling about the need for coach Nick Saban to make a change at quarterback.

It seems implausible to bench a quarterback with a 26-2 career record as starter, a number inflated with the championship win over Georgia.

But Hurts had become an enigma in the eyes of many Crimson Tide supporters. Maybe it was his calm demeanor that seemed to lack passion. Or possibly the fact Alabama’s defense, which accounted for 10 fewer touchdowns this season, resembled a MASH unit at times, placing more scrutiny on the offense to dictate the outcome of games.

No matter the reason, being under the spotlight of the questioning Tide faithful didn’t alter Hurts’ preparation or effort. It would certainly be understandable if he walked around with a chip on his shoulder, sensing a lack of appreciation while continuing to rewrite the Alabama quarterback record book.

But that’s just not how he was raised.

As the son of his high school coach in Channelview, Hurts has always carried himself with a quiet, respectful demeanor. He would much rather be seen and not heard, letting his actions do his talking. Allow humility to trump everything.

Which is why Hurts’ behavior in Atlanta last Monday should forever cement his respect in the eyes of Alabama fans. Rather than sulk about his demotion, he remained engaged in sideline meetings while offering insight and encouragement to Tagovailoa. His character was intact, celebrating the victory that he himself wanted to orchestrate to atone for the emptiness left by last year’s loss to Clemson.

"As a team player, you have to do what's best for the team," Hurts said. "It was important for me to be true to myself and be the team leader I have always been. Don't change because of a little adversity. Be true. Be true to it."

When asked what message he had for Tagovailoa while sorting through the disappointment of being pulled, the smiling Hurts offered sincere praise.

“I told him ‘Play your game. Ball.’ He’s built for stuff like this. He has that ‘it’ factor. I’m so happy for him and happy for the team,” Hurts said.

Tagovailoa’s emergence on a national stage will certainly create further debate on who will start under center next fall. A similar scenario unfolded at Georgia this season with freshman Jake Fromm supplanting sophomore Jacob Eason, who saw the handwriting on the wall and recently announced his plans to transfer from the Bulldogs.

While Hurts’ body of work is more expansive, the poise shown by Tagovailoa to energize Alabama’s offense to overcome a 13-point halftime deficit with a national title hanging in the balance cannot be easily overlooked.

But situations of this ilk are nothing new to Hurts.

In fact, the anticipation of quantum improvement after his phenomenal freshman season might have been unfair.

He’s proven in the past that he performs the best when expectations are lower.

With a logjam at quarterback trying to find a replacement for the graduated Jake Coker, Hurts was one of four candidates entering 2016 preseason practice after junior Alec Morris transferred from Alabama earlier in the year.

Already in place was junior Cooper Bateman, rated as the No. 3 quarterback by ESPN in the 2013 recruiting rankings, the most likely choice after appearing in eight games with one start the previous year.

Also in the mix were redshirt sophomore David Cornwell, ranked fourth by ESPN in the 2014 class, and redshirt freshman Blake Barnett, the plum of Alabama’s 2015 signees as the nation’s top-rated high school quarterback out of California.

Jalen Hurts burst onto the national scene with a statement game against USC in Alabama's 2016 season opener.(Photo: Associated Press)

And then there was Hurts.

He was the only one of the four not listed on the ESPN 300 list his senior year. While he was ranked as the No. 13 quarterback in his class, only two other SEC schools — Mississippi State and Texas A&M — even made offers.

In fact, his menu of interested colleges was littered with such pedestrian football destinations as Tulane, UNLV, Kansas and UTEP.

“I wasn't the biggest recruit," Hurts said. "No one expected me to come here and start at quarterback. I had four guys in front of me, all higher recruits than I was, all went to Elite 11 (quarterback showcase camp)."

“I think when your number is called, how do you answer, how do you respond to certain situations. I was in a situation where I kind of took advantage of it and I took advantage of the opportunity and just kind of been rolling since.”

Barnett got the start against Southern California in the season opener.

But after coughing up a fumble on his first college snap, Hurts recovered by passing for a pair of touchdowns and running for two more. By the end of Alabama’s 52-6 dismantling of the Trojans, there was no doubt who would be under center thereafter, becoming the first true freshman in 32 years to start at quarterback for the Crimson Tide.

While he maintained his even-keeled deportment and was insulated from the media under Alabama’s regular-season gag order for freshmen, it was readily apparent that Hurts was the new face of Crimson Tide football. Basically, the quarterback competition was over.

Barnett opted to leave Alabama four games into the season. Bateman announced his departure in early December, followed by Cornwell only days later. Apparently, the actions of the soft-spoken Texan were speaking loudly to trio by this time.

His 30-yard run with two minutes left in the championship rematch with Clemson seemed to be the final act Hurts’ magical season. But Watson’s game-winning pass with one second remaining scripted a different ending.

After his dynamic freshman season that saw Hurts pass for 2,780 yards with 23 touchdowns and rush for another 954 yards and with 13 touchdowns, his name was been tossed about as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate entering his this year.

He was ready to finish what Watson’s heroics stole from him the previous season, knowing that Alabama signed the top-rated high school quarterback out of Hawaii as a future contingency plan.

Nov 5, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) scrambles for yardage against the LSU Tigers during the third quarter at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports(Photo: John David Mercer, John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports)

However, the transition under Daboll’s tutelage didn’t bring about the expected results. Maybe the fact Alabama’s offense lost two starters on the line and three of Hurts’ top four receiving targets had an impact.

The year was solid nonetheless.

Alabama’s averaged around a point less than last season, while gaining just five yards per contest fewer. Hurts numbers were lower as well, but he hardly saw any action during the fourth quarter of five blowout victories and he threw only one interception all season.

Plus, the dramatic game-winning drive at Mississippi State was an instant classic.

Something wasn’t quite right in Tide Nation, though, and it all came to a head after Alabama’s loss at Auburn that seemed to jeopardize the chance to complete last season’s unfinished business. Whispers of making the change to the Hawaiian lefty were abuzz on Alabama internet forums and social media.

But the stone-faced Hurts insisted it never bothered him when asked prior to the Georgia game.

“It's not that hard to block out," Hurts said. "Y'all can hype up whatever y'all want, it's nothing to me. Between me and Coach Saban, that's understood. The biggest thing for me and Coach Saban, I need to execute, I need to do my job. All the other stuff that comes with it is kind of understood that that doesn't affect me."

The calls for a change under center for the Crimson Tide also brought forth Hurts supporters among national media, including former Florida Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.

“We’ve got to understand he’s 25-2 (now 26-2)," Tebow said. "His two losses were in the national championship to Deshaun Watson in an unbelievable game and at Auburn, one of the hardest places to play in the entire country. What he has done in his two years, it’s not just average, it’s not just good, it’s really good. This is a really good football player. He doesn’t get the credit he deserves."

Hurts also received words of affirmation from Kiffin, who groomed him to success his freshman year.

“I just get tired of so much criticism of him," Kiffin said. "He’s in the second year of playing football and his first loss is in the national championship game when your job as quarterback is to score. The last time he had the ball in his hands he put it in the end zone.

"If they stop them (Clemson), everybody’s saying what a great game he had. I try to remind him to just be who you are, don’t listen to these other people.”

Regardless of how the rest of his career unfolds, whether at Alabama or elsewhere, Hurts recognizes the impact of these past two years.

“I think the older you get, the more you learn, obviously, and the wiser you are," Hurts said. "You tend not to let things bother you, you focus on what you need to focus on and you keep the main thing the main thing.

“That's something you've got to cherish because it's not going to be like this forever. You only get four to five years at this place and it's definitely a blessing. It's something that we want to — it's something that we're going to remember forever as a team.”

Team above all else. That’s the way Hurts has been raised, and that’s what he’s demonstrated at Alabama. He can’t help it. It’s who he is.